Rebus puzzle computer



Jan. 17, 1956 H. L. FROHMAN 2,731,259

REBUS PUZZLE COMPUTER Filed June 19, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l A-/S fOooeooooooooooowoooooooll/ 17/ 5 b -ooO--e-Ooazaooo@ooazaocpoeooooooj 4 24 [OoooeooooooooooooaoooOoo@| Iooooooeoooo aobooooooj5` IN V EN TOR.

Jan. 17, 1956 H. l.. FROHMAN 2,731,269

REBUS PUZZLE COMPUTER Filed June 19, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m mmv-1| l rn/ AllClDEIFlGIHII IJ IKILMINIIPIGIR ISITIU IVIWIYIYII; /5/ n United States Patent REBUS PUZZLE COMPUTER Howard L. Frohman, New Haven, Conn.

Application June 19, 1953, Serial No. 362,873

2 Claims. (Cl. 273-148) This invention relates to puzzles, and more particularly 1 to an improved apparatus for the solving of rebus puzzles.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved computing device for use in solving rebus puzzles, said computing device being simple in construction, being easy to manipulate, and enabling the user 2 to greatly reduce the time involved in working out a rebus puzzle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved computing board for use in solving rebus puzzles, said board involving inexpensive components, being compact in size, and involving simple parts, the apparatus enabling a person working on a rebus puzzle to ice tracts Words and letters that spell out identifications of pictured objects, so as to have a remainder of letters that spell out a name or word. For example:

cone-t-elephant-t-E-telephone=cane After cancelling, by subtracting the minus letters from the plus letters, the puzzle looks like this:

ceae+elephant+E-eelephene=cane The above is an example of a simple rebus puzzle worked out by cancelling by hand. The rebus puzzle computing apparatus of the present invention would solve the same problem automatically as follows:

appropriate pegs in respective bores in a stn'p member to be placed on a board. Thus, each strip member represents a word. By manually moving a strip member from the plus board to the minus board, the entire 0 value of the word can be changed from plus to minus,

and vice versa. When a puzzle is quite large, the confff venience of this becomes readily apparent, for if the puzzle is being worked by pencil and paper, the entire wordage must sometimes be rewritten.

Once the strip members are placed in the plus and minus boards, the rebus puzzleY computer of the present invention appears as follows:

PLUS BOARD ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ (GONE) c E N o (ELEPHANT) E A E n L N r T MINUS BOARD ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ E (TELEPHONE) E H L N o P T quickly compute the sum of the alphabetical letters of a group ot words, whereby the respective letters maybe rapidly tallied and the letters may be canceled out, leav ing the letters from which'the solution of the puzzle can be found after all the unwanted letters are canceled.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary top view of the plus board of a rebus puzzle solving apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan View, similar to Figure l, of the minus board of a rebus puzzle solving apparatus according to this invention.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarge@l vertical longitudinal cross sectional View taken on the line 4--4 of Figure l through one of the tally strip members employed in the rebus puzzle solving apparatus.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational detail view of 6 a tally strip member employed in the apparatus, said View being taken on the line 5-5 of Figure l.

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective View of one of the rallying pegs employed in the apparatus of the present invention.

A rebus puzzle is a type of puzzle that adds and sub- Merely by inspection the following is apparent:

, A C E H .L lN O P T PLUS: l l

MINUS: 0 0.. REMAINDER: 1 l

or, CANE is the solution.

The above example is a very elementary sample of what constitutes a rebus puzzle. When a puzzle contains hundreds of words, or elements (and they sometimes do in some tie-breaking puzzles where thousands of dollars are awarded in prizes), the puzzle becomes tremendously complicated, and a worth-while solution is most diflicult to attain by the hand method. With my rebus puzzle computer a solution can be rendered accurately, quickly, and with a `minimum of effort.

Referring to the drawings, 11 designates the plus board and 12 designates the minus board ofY a computing apparatus employed for computing the sum of the letters of respective groups of words in a rebus puzzle. Y As is well known, in solving a rebus puzzle, a group 4 l l 1 3:1 l 1 l 0 0 V0 o letters the solution of the puzzle may be worked out,

'- Thus, a lrst group of words must be broken down into First the word-elements are spelled out by placing of words must be broken down into their componentv their respective alphabetical letters, arid for this purpose the board 11 is provided. The board 11 is generallyreo tangular in shape, as shown in Figure l, and is provided alims sie longitudinal margin thereof with a. sequential iirtatiseiaefit of the letters et the alphabet. at.- 1.3,.. each letter @i alphabet being inscribed. in a baia as illustrated. The opposite ends of the board are provided with the upstanding ribs or anges 15, 15, said ribs or flangesY l5. being formed with the. spaced notches 16, the notches 16 of the opposing ribs 15 being longitudinab ly aligned with each other. Designated at 11j' are respective longitudinally extending strip members whose ends arer adapted to be received in opposing notches 16 of the end ribs 15, as illustrated in Figure 1.

A s shown in gigures 3', 4 and 5, yeach strip member 17 comprises a barmember 18 oi substantially rectangular cross section, the upper portions of the sides of the bar member being inscribed with the alphabet 1.9, the respectitte letters of thev alphabet extending along the upper marginal portion of the side of the barmember, as shown in Figure 5.. The bar member is. formed with the spaced vertical bores 2Q, said bores being respectively aligned with the respective letters of the alphabetl 19, the bores.20 opening at the. top. surfaceof the barV member. Designated at 21 is a guide bar having the downwardly bent ends 22, 22 extending substantially perpendicular .to the main body portion of the guide bar 21, the ends. 22, 22 being secured to the ends of the strip. member 1S, as. by screws 23 in the manner illustrated in Figure 4. The V'guide bars 21 are formed with the spaced openings 24whicb are in vertical registry with the respective bores 2 0 and are spaced thereabove, as shown in Figures 4 andV 5,` servingl as guide means for the insertion of pegs 25 into the .bores 20.

Referring to Figure "6, each peg 25 is generally cylint drical in shape and is inscribed adjacent one end thereof with reference letters 26, indicating that the peg designates a given alphabetical letter.

Thus, each of the strip members 17fmay be employed to designate the respective letters of one ofthe words of' the rebus puzzle, a peg 25 being inserted in a bore 20 for each letter appearing in the word. For example, to designate a word cover in the rst strip merriberV shown in- Figure l, pegsy 25 will be inserted in the bores 2Q corresponding to the alphabetical letters in said word.

Thurs, the strip members 17 may each represent a word 01' a portion of one of the words in a group of words of a rebus puzzle, the pegs 25 being employed to designate each of the letters appearing in the word or partial word. With the appropriate PesS..2.5,i.r1 ttiebores. 2110i. ealtsttip member 17, the strip members are placed in the notches 16, as shown in. Eigure l, the` ends oi each strip member being received in opposing notchesv 15,6; whereby the group of strip members are disposed onv theboard 11L as illustrated. Then the user may rapidly count 'the number of pegs 2 5 aligned with each of the letters on the alphabet 13 -at the longitudinal margin of the board. At the same time, a similar procedure may be employed for the "minus* board 12, whereby. the WordsI having Vletters to be sub, tracted may be represented' by meansofpegs 25 on strip members- 17. By counting the respective aligned rows ofpegs 25l on the boards H and 12, Vtheuser may rapidly determine which let-ters are canceled', since when an equalj number ofpegs occurs on the boards *11- and 12 for a given alphabetical letter cancellation ofthese letters is acoomplished automatically.` and immediately. With the canceledqlettersY eliminated the Vletters remaining on the plus. board can be used as a solution to the puzzle.

To minimize error, the plus board may be painted a Y(limitent COlOr from. the minus beard. as bfy. painting. the.

plus board black or blue and by paintingy theV minusf board. 12; red. Qt. a Similar contrasting C Qlor with respect to the color off the board 1,1:- AS.; willbev readily` under?. stood by those familiar. with rebus,A puzzles, pictures, are Ordinarily provided. t designate. the' werde toren-tins, the

rebus Puzzle. The user mar ser, un. var-.icas werds on the strip member 17, in the manner above described, and then by manually manipulating the strip members may readily determine which letters are to be canceled.

For example, by interchanging strip members 17 until an equivalent number of a given letter occurs'on the plus board 11 as on the minus board 12, it is discovered that these letters are canceled. The strip'membersV 17 are moved from board VI1 to board 12 and vice versa until all the unwanted letters are 'canceled out, or until all are canceled out that can be canceled. Cancellation of letters is accomplished by removing the pegs 25 indicating Such letters. AAlter all possible letters have been canceled out, the solution of the puzzle can be determined by properly arranging the remaining letters indicated by the pegs 25 left in the strip members 17.

The strip members 17 are arranged so that the pegs 25 may beV rapidly and easily inserted in the bores 20, Since the cuide. bars. 21 are provided with the.. per-toraticns 2.4 above. described, which. are in vertical; alignment with the respective.v bores 20. whereby ness maybe rapidly inf Serted through the. Openings 24 and. are guided into the bores 20.; Y v

While a specific embodiment oi an improved rebus Puzzle computer hasbeenidisclosed iti the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the. Spirit 0f. the. inventionmay occur t0 those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose ofl illustration only, and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the, appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A rebus puzzle computer comprising aboard inscribed adjacent to and inwardly of the marginal edge thereof with letters of the alphabet, support members on the board along the marginal edge of said board, strip members each having on a side face the letters of the alphabet inscribed thereonV positioned in spaced relation inwardly ofthe marginal edge of said board and engageableY with said support members, said strip members being shaped so that the letters of the alphabet are in registry with each other and with the letters of the alphabet adjacent the marginal edge of said board, each of said strip members being formed with a plurality of bores extendipg ipwardly from the top face thereof and in registry with the letters of the alphabet on the side face thereof, and p .egs conformably shaped to tit the bores in said strip members insertable` in the. bores in accordance with the letters-of` a word to be tabulated in solving a rebus puzzle.

2 A'rebus puzzle computer comprising a board inscribed adjacent to and inwardly. of'the marginal edge thereof- With the letters` ofthe alphabet, supportl members von the board along the marginal edges of said board, strip members each havingnon a si'de rface thelctters of theal'- phabet inscribedV thereon positioned in spacedY relation in- I, wardlyofthe'marginal edge of said board and engageable with saidI supportn members, said strip members being shaped,V so that'the letters of: the alphabet aren in registry with each other and with the letters of the alphabettadjacent the marginaledge of saidV board, each of said strip members being formed with a plurality of bores extendVA ingrinwardlyV from the top face thereof and in registry with the letters 'of the alphabet on the side face thereof, a guide bar arranged in superimposed spaced relation with respect' to each strip member,'each bar being'provided withl a plurality of apertures in registry with theY bores ofthe adjacents'trip member, and pegs conformably shaped to tit the apertures in the guide bars and theA bores in saidv strip members insertable into the apertures of said guide bars and the bores of said strip members in accordance with the letters of a word to be tabulated' in solving aV rebus puzzle. l

References. Cited. iut-he le Qt; this patent UNITED STATES, PATENTS Y 905,578 Read Dec. l,y 1908;

, ..e.--.. er-rf. Feb- 13, 

